The theme article of this issue, "Addressing Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood" by Brenda Greene, explains that pregnant students and those who are already parents have the same legal rights to public education as do all other students. To meet this responsibility and to lower dropout rates, schools need to make educational opportunities available…

These guidelines for developing a model for an integrated comprehensive career education program in North Carolina at the elementary and secondary levels include a mission statement, a career education rationale, a wide range of educational objectives, and key considerations for statewide implementation of the career education concept. An advisory…

This module identifies the at-risk student and addresses strategies and effective programs for dealing with the at-risk population. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to define at-risk students, discuss reasons for dropout, and provide information on early identification of risk, the effect of dropping…

This report summarized the activities and recommendations of the 1985-86 National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education Secondary Committee. Committee accomplishments included defining dropouts utilizing unique characteristics of migrant students; drafting the issues paper on migrant secondary education (included in this report);…

On the average, 10 percent of District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students--approximately 8,500 students--are absent from school each day. In order to combat truancy, which often leads to dropping out, DCPS developed the Truancy Prevention Plan, part of a Comprehensive Plan for School Attendance Improvement, which was implemented between…

This guide explores ways that schools can put the idea of integrating educational and community support for dropout prevention to work in the school and community. Part 1, "Implementing a Plan for Restructuring the School," recommends the formation of a task force to involve the community and school staff from the start. It also describes the…

Operation Success is a pilot project funded by the New York State Education Department to provide support services to high school dropouts and potential dropouts. It offers programs, including employment programs, intended to develop skills, self-awareness and self-direction, enourage career goals, and develop appropriate attitudes toward the…

The core features of the preindustrial model of school-to-work transition are needed now. An environment must be recreated in which young people see the vital connections among education, training, and work that were once so clear. The emerging consensus model has these features: combined formal schooling and structured on-the-job training leading…

This report describes the background and plans for an alternative education program to reduce the high dropout rate at Baldwyn High School in Baldwyn, Mississippi. Research shows that students drop out primarily because they are behind grade level and are older than their classmates. Of Baldwyn High School's approximately 290 students, between 25…

Intended for school administrators, educators, and the lay public, this publication describes five innovative and effective vocational education programs developed with support from the U.S. Office of Education in response to a local problem. The programs, each requiring the coordinated effort of community groups and leaders are: (1) Industrial…

The 70001 Training & Employment Institute is currently designing a new dropout prevention program for public schools, the Work, Achievement, and Values in Education (WAVE) project. WAVE exercises will be competency based, helping demonstrate concrete learning gains and emphasizing experiential learning activities and sensitivity to local…

This color-coded manual is a guide for local Michigan school districts and schools to meet the needs of children at risk, listing programs from across the state and designated information contact persons within each district. A foreword notes that the manual was developed from a statewide survey of all school districts designed to identify…

This handbook describes a high school dropout prevention program that integrates academic education, vocational education, and a support system in order to provide students with multiple options for their future careers and personal lives. The following information is provided: the program's philosophy; major components (vocational education,…

This report presents nine steps, followed by work plans, for administrators when implementing a dropout prevention initiative. These nine steps are: (1) conduct a needs assessment to establish a database that identifies students who leave school early; (2) draft descriptors that identify elementary students who are at risk of dropping out later;…

High school noncompletion is a complex problem that requires complex solutions that schools are often inhibited from implementing quickly. Alternative educational services are often necessary for students who are able to complete high school but who find school an unrewarding place in which to learn. A loose network of public and private programs…